The times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1882-1897, 1887-02-18
When Baby was sick, we gave her Castoria
When she was q Child, she cried for Castoria,
When she became Miss, she chung to Castoria,
Lower Cost Of Production.

The Pioneer Press is pleased to find its
plea for better and more economical meth
DDS of farming. repeated and enforced by
those most familiar with the condition OF
the agricultural interest. The following
statement is from The Farmer:
Not I'LL farmers go iulo bankruptcy ut
wheat raising even ut present price, and
some actually make money with wheat at
% centc bushel. a ''bull' on The
Chicago board Of trade may be well posted
and speak within bounds or his own OK.
perience when he states that wheat cannot
be produced for 40 cents per bushel in
Dakota How ever representative of the
Farmer, a few days ago, visited a large
model DAKOTA farm, the Grandn Bros.
farm, at Mayville, Trail county, where far
better results are obtained. w. w. War
rem, ESD, general manager, courteously
exhibited some figures which, without
giving in detail, we may say amount To
this that crop of something over 80, 900
bushels OF wheat, averaging nearly
twenty bushels per acre, costs, from
time OF seeding until stored in elevators
Including interest on capital, wear ON
machinery, wages, incidentals, etc. y II little
less than "a cents per bushe While the
soil and location of this farm is excellent,
we know of no special superiority OF
quality above good, average Red River
valley soil. The results are the legitimate
reward OF business methods and thorough
system, from breaking to marketing.
The low price Of wheat is, of course, an
unqualified misfortune. But, the fact
existing through circumstances beyond
anybody S control tue practical question
is, how TO make Tie best of it. Ii the
farmer loses at one end of the business, he
must Try to gain al the other. If wheat
has fallen in the worlds markets, he must
make good the deficit by decreasing the
cost of production. The thing can be done
by increasing the yield per acre. In esli
mating the cost of production, the cost of
labor in powing. seeding, harvesting,
threshing and marketing. per acre, are
added together. The total is divided by
the average yield per acre, giving the aver
aye cost of production per bushel. Now,
it is obvious, that, If the expenditure on an
acre is dividcn by thirteen. the average
number Of bushels raised 10 the acre, the
resulting cost of production will be nearly
twice as great as if we were 10 divide by
twenty-five, the number of bushels per
acre which the rich soil of The Northwest
will easily yield under thorough cultivation
We desire to make this argument fair, as
earnest. The cost of production given in
the case cited by Tie Farmer-less these
81 cents per BUSHELS below the average
figure. IL holds good for large farming,
where the product is $50, 900 bushels and
where the economies of conducting any
business on u large scale and according 10
the wholesale plan, can be brought into
play. But The saving is there, all The
same.
A close computation made some time
ago, shows that the cost of wheat prodtIc-
ton, by the old, wasleful system, is, TO
the large farmcr, from 40 TO 90, and to the
small farmer from 80 to 60 cents per buslel
This is on the basis of an average yield OF
not more than ID bushels per acre. Now,
what do we find? The large farmer, by
adopting The careful methods in use in
older and more economical communities,
by thorough cultivation and summer fall
lowing. can raise his average crop to %
bushels per acre. The cost of raising the
greater amount being about the same ns
that OF the less, 1t follows that, for him.
the cost of production is reduced nearly
one-haf. That margin is clear profit.
The small farmer can 10 the same thing.
BY better cultivation, he can, at little, if
any greater expense, secure the same Yield
VI ~ ptoicio pei utit. utt WOUlU lower
the cost OF production to him from he.
tween 80 and 90, TO between 80 and 40
cents per bushel. There would be a very
comfortable profit in that, even viii,
wheat at lower prices than it has reached
or Is likely To reach. We desire for The
farmer of the Northwest every advantage
possible. We hope that he may have low.
cr taxes, and railroad freight rates ms rea
sonable as are anywhere known But with
Ill these he must still work out his own
salvation. He must cease to use his hand
rs he uses expensive farm machinery.
which usually becomes worthless after !,
few years. by reason of lack of ordinary
care. He must appropriate The millions
That are offered hun In profit, by reducing
the cost ofcultivati0n. merely as premium
upon careful. Intelligent. economical meth.
DDS Of iiIlage. st. Paul Pioneer Press.